First of all I did a search about the plant philodendron. Two posts came up, and one was I was unable to read.

I've been doing my own tests here at home. First of all, I've never used live plants in my tanks. I've always felt that they were yet another cause of stress besides keeping the fish themselves. Well, right now I'm experiencing good times where my fish are staying healthy and I truly understand the necessity of good water quality.

So, my problem? My tapwater tests at 20 ppm of nitrate. So, no matter how many water changes I perform, my water will never be better than 20 ppm of nitrate. So, for the hec of it, I took a few leaves from our philodendron plant, and let them sit in a couple gallons of water overnight. I tested the nitrate in the plant water, and son of a gun, the water tested at 10 ppm. Big difference!! I have had some very good help from a fellow Loach onLiner who has been telling me to float some plants in my tank. But, I was not brave enough, nor did I feel I had to go to those *drastic* measures.

But, now having seen the results, I was wondering if it is safe to float philodendron in my tank. If the fish eat it will I have disastrous results? Is philodendron toxic to humans and animals? I've got clowns, angels, tetras, and otos.